These days, Jamie Oliver is well-known for his pioneering efforts to address the childhood obesity crisis in the U.S. and Great Britain. He is a proponent of cooking in a simple, unadorned way (hence the nickname) mirroring my own Make It Simple Cooking Philosophy which is to:

Stock up on whole staples and fresh produce and proteins, use the guidelines of recipes and your intuition, enjoy what you create and worry not about perfection.

FOOD REVOLUTION DAY – FRIDAY, MAY 16

Next Friday, May 16this FOOD REVOLUTION DAY, Jamie Oliver’s global call-to-action which he hopes will inspire the cooking and eating of good, real food and raise awareness of how what we eat affects our health and well-being.

The focus this year is on educating kids about food and where it comes from and equipping them with basic cooking skills.

Healthy diets are critical to healthy lives but our children lack the knowledge to make the right food choices or the skills to create healthy, wholesome and nutritious meals. Jamie Oliver

For a list of ideas on how you and your kids, school, workplace or community can participate and celebrate, click HERE.

GETTING KIDS COOKING

What was the trigger that shifted my son from cooking spectator to once-in-a-while initiator and leader in the kitchen?

Had I suggested he make crepes or some other reasonably enticing item on his own, he likely would have insisted that many other priorities took precedence. It was cooking with a small group of classmates for a project that gave him an appreciation for the act of creating something delicious.

If cooking is not a part of the home routine, it is even more imperative that children learn at least the basics of cooking in school.

We need every child to understand where food comes from, how to cook it, and how it affects their body. This is about setting kids up with the knowledge they need to make better food choices for life.Jamie Oliver

MORE ABOUT JAMIE OLIVER

PRIZE WINNING TED TALK: Teach Every Child About Food

RESOURCES for TEACHERS: Toolkits for Change

“These toolkits arm you with facts, empower you with ideas and support you in making real change on the ground. The Food Revolution Team has worked with experts in the field to create toolkits specific to a number of different issues facing our schools. They are meant to be used, printed, shared and passed on! Together we have an opportunity to support schools in making sustainable change.”

BIG RIG TEACHING KITCHEN

The mission of this 70-foot long mobile kitchen is to, through free teacher training, basic home cooking classes and take-home recipes, improve health and spread food education. The 40 week journey to underserved communities across the state of California winds up its tour in San Diego this month. See a schedule of events HERE.

If you’re celebrating Food Revolution Day next Friday, please share your plans below in the comments!

Farm to Table has become a common restaurant tagline as the burgeoning movement touting the benefits of local, organic foods is increasingly influencing patron purchasing decisions. The notion of garden beds brimming with perfectly aligned rows of greens or cattle grazing rolling pastoral hillsides can’t help but incentivize diners to drop in for some deliciously fresh fare.

Not only will you get a meal made with ingredients at the peak of flavor but you’ll be supporting restaurant owners and chefs who buy from local farm suppliers.

MARIN SUN FARMS RESTAURANT

David Evans, a fourth generation cattle rancher in Point Reyes, is a pioneer in the local meat movement. His restaurant Marin Sun Farmsis more than just a dining destination as it is located at the gateway of a national seashore with endless possibilities of exploration. Just off the main street in Point Reyes Station, it’s a perfect start or end to a day’s adventures with incredible food that comes from the land that surrounds it.

For a review of the restaurant, click below for my segment on Check Please Bay Area or go to the KQED website for a written version.

Check Please Bay Area Review of Marin Sun Farms

IS GRASS-FED BEEF WORTH A HIGHER PRICE?

The price of a burger at Marin Farms will run you $15. It’s juicy and deliciously prepared with MSF Bacon, Gruyère cheese and house made pickles. And because grass-fed beef is lower in calories and has more omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamins and minerals, it’s healthier than your typical burger.

But taste and nutrition aside, is grass-fed beef worthy of a higher price tag? For many, the value lies in choosing to eat meat more responsibly with consideration to the welfare of animals and the environmental impact of industrial farming practices.

For compelling insight on animal welfare and the merits of grass-fed beef for a sustainable food system, read this post by Michael Pollan. Or better yet, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, an incisive, engaging book about conscious eating.

For finding sources for grass-fed beef for eating at home, see the Eat Wild website and their comprehensive directory of pasture-based farms, grass-fed basics and much more.

Sustainable Food Model and Food Shed

Impact of Drought

Lack of rain in Northern California is reducing the amount of grazing land and impacting grass-fed meat production. For the first time, Marin Sun Farms is needing to supplement with grain. To be transparent, they have created three-tiered labeling system. For updated information, click here.

Tips for Making the Perfect Steak Indoors

from Marin Sun Farms Head Chef Paul Bondick

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on both sides of the meat and rub with a little bit of olive oil. Let sit at room temperature for a 1/2 hour.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high flame until hot.

Sear meat for 3-4 minutes a side.

Place the skillet in the oven for 8 minutes for medium-rare. Use a temperature probe for accuracy.

Spritz with lemon juice. (Optional)

For meat perfectly done to your specifications, use the following for internal temperature:

The grilled cheese sandwich, like many food items, has transitioned from plain to couture. At one time somewhat floppy and slightly soggy with a knack for permeating the kitchen, it has hit the big time with entire cookbooks devoted to the melted sandwich.

What’s not to like? A hot sandwich beats a cold one any day and is much more forgiving. Leftovers take on a tasty new life, a tomato that’s about to turn is revived and a bland slice of bread becomes flavorfully caramelized.

With its grander stature, the grilled cheese has achieved a more fitting designation … The Panini. And the Panini Press has arrived on the top of the list of gadgets that could be considered frivolous were it not for its true usability and value. There’s no end to suitable, delicious combinations – see links to recipes on the bottom of the page. But for an easy pleaser for all ages, try the Mini Paninirecipe below for simple goodness. Kids go crazy over these.

PANINI PRESS

If your interest is strictly sandwiches, the well-rated model below will expand your recipe repertoire significantly. The flat vs. ridged plates will more evenly conduct heat and be easier to clean.

Click for Link to Amazon

But if you’d like to put this device to full use and cook everything from chicken to cakes, go with a ridged-plate model.

Click for Link to Amazon

Your sandwiches will have marks, but you’ll have a very versatile new cooking appliance.

FROM HOME: The Mini Panini

INGREDIENTS

French Baguette, cut in 1/2 inch slices

Softened Butter

White Cheddar Cheese, sliced

Optional: Tomatoes, Spinach, Basil, Bacon, Ham or anything your taste buds find would go well between two slices of bread.

PREPARATION

Preheat the panini maker according to manufacturers instructions.

Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch pieces. TIP – To avoid having your French bread go rapidly stale after purchasing, slice it into whatever size you typically use (I do a sandwich size and then slice for grilled cheese when defrosted) and freeze in a zip lock bag. Defrost on the counter or slowly in the toaster oven and slice.

Cut or slice the cheese.

Spread butter on one side of each bread slice.

Drop half of them butter side down in the panini plate.

Top with cheese and cover with the second half, butter side up.

Drop top, let sizzle, open and eat.

TO HIGH END

If you’ve ever meandered the farmers markets at the San Rafael Civic Center or Marin Country Mart in Larkspur, you’ve likely come upon The Farmers Wife food truck and the emanating wafts of their outstanding melted sandwiches including Farm Egg & Arugula, Kimchee & Avocado and Magruder Ranch Smoked Ham, Gruyère & Mustard. Menu changes daily. They’re on the pricey side but well worth it.

Owners Kendra and Paul Kolling are on a mission to provide the best in locally sourced, seasonal products in keeping with the farming legacy of their extended family. Paul’s grandmother was the inspiration behind the unique, heirloom flavor blends in Nana Mae Organics apple juices which you can also find at the farmers market. With over 25 heirloom varieties, Paul farms in harmony with nature to bring out the best in the land.

And Kendra, as The Farmers Wife, sources the ingredients of her outstanding food truck sandwiches from local farms which set them a far notch above.

AND IN BETWEEN

And finally, another eating option at the Corte Madera Town Center. Parked outside the center entrance you’ll find The Melt Bus and a few tables for dining.

The menu of all-natural, wholesome items includes everything from the classic grilled cheese to braised short rib and pepper jack to aged swiss, portobello and grilled onion. They also have soups and milkshakes as well as breakfast options.

An uplift in mood is clearly evident come spring at the farmers market. And the beauty of cooking and eating along a somewhat seasonal track is the joy that comes from seeing favorites return after a long absence.

Below are a few items you’ll find in abundance now along with links to some favorite recipes. Since the weather is more winter than spring at the moment, it’s a good time for roasting and braising which is not ideal in the warmer months.

If you do live in Marin, check out the Spring Schedule of Local Farmers Markets below.

When it comes to side dishes, I gravitate to the quick prep/undisturbed cooking options because pre-dinner, a multitude of other interferences insist attention. Weeknights don’t tend to be the time for fuss. The default is to gather a variety of potatoes and/or veggies, toss them onto a baking sheet, glug on some olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and a seasoning salt before setting in the oven. Although the results hit the high mark sometimes more than others, you’ll get a tasty and reliable side staple regardless.

But something about this sweet potato recipe has me hooked. I made it three times last week. Like the stand-by, preparation is simple and there is no need to monitor, but it has a winning flavor and perfect bite every time.

Reheated leftovers are just as worthy. Or try with poached eggs! (see recipe below)

Nutritional Information

As an added benefit, this tuber vegetable side dish will up the nutrition quotient of your meal:

Low

Calories

Sodium

Saturated Fat

Cholesterol

Glycemic Index

High

Dietary Fiber

Calcium

Omega-3 fatty acids

Beta-Carotine

Potassium

Iron

Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Magnesium and Vitamin C

Sweet Potato or Yam?

Surprisingly, both of the above are sweet potatoes. Those yams we think we’re eating at Thanksgiving are more commonly harvested in West Africa are very rarely found in our supermarkets. These two have a slight consistency and taste difference but both work well in this recipe.

Conventional or Organic?

Sweet potatoes are on Environmental Working GroupsClean 15 List so are considered less likely to be contaminated by pesticides. Their strong outer layer would seem to provide a sufficient boundary, but this video-gone-viral of a little girls’ science experiment could give you pause next time you purchase them. She attempts to grow roots in jars using non-organic, conventional organic and local organic sweet potatoes. I think I’ll be adding a plus one to EWG’s Dirty Dozen List.

Add about 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar to the water which helps to keep the eggs intact.

Break the first egg into a small bowl.

Just as the water is starting to lightly simmer but before it comes to a full boil, turn down the flame to keep it minimally bubbling.

Begin swirling the water with a spoon and gently slide the bowl into the water letting the egg slip out. Add the remaining eggs to the bowl one at a time and repeat the process. (If the white seems to be spreading significantly, you can gently push toward the yolk with a spoon or spatula.)

When done placing the eggs to the water, set the timer for 3 minutes and line a plate with a paper towel.

After 3 minutes, check the eggs. Remove when the whites have set, up to 1 minute more.

Gently remove from the water with a slotted spoon onto the paper towel. If not serving immediately, remove the eggs at 3 minutes when they’re slightly underdone (whites aren’t floating and are close to set.) Place in a bowl of cold water, cover and put in the refrigerator. Reheat for a minute in lightly simmering water.

Heat the potatoes in a microwave or oven. Place on a plate, top with bacon and/or or spinach, slip poached eggs on top.

This recipe is a must try. I felt it necessary to make the post title a bit promotional given that cottage cheese happens to be the key ingredient. This cheese curd product is not something that has ever found its way into my shopping cart until this impression-breaking recipe came along. Continue reading →

Seeing the new documentaryFed Up at the Sundance Film Festival last week inflamed an already nagging disbelief that this generation of children face a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to the rise in obesity. At the same time, it provided a sense of hope that the film may follow in the footsteps of producer Laurie David‘s 2006 Sundance hit An Inconvenient Truth which brought the issue of global warming to the forefront and galvanized a call-to-action that established it as not just a political challenge but a moral imperative.

Below is a weekly food roundup, locally and beyond, of ideas for what to cook, where to eat, things to consider and actions to inspire. If you have something to add to a future Friday Food list, please share it in the comments section below. Enjoy the weekend!

Tout the superior merits of the chocolate chip cookie batter at the exclusion of the cooked cookie no more. This week was to be about chicken with goat cheese and pork chops with rosemary sauce as sugar is not a January ingredient post-holiday excess. And no doubt the Todd English cookies posted here previously are a best contender … unless you happen to find oatmeal or espresso powder less than traditional additions. Or if you prefer something on the softer side.

About

The Real Deal Marin is your source for finding the best in food, whether eating in or dining out. You will find recipes with a clean and simple preparation, restaurants and purveyors that focus on authenticity and reports on efforts to build a better food system.

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